Derek and Suzi Alkonis pose with a photograph of their son Lt. Ridge Alkonis on Wednesday, June 1, 2022, in Dana Level, Calif. Their son, a U.S. Navy lieutenant in Japan, faces a possible three-year jail sentence for a automotive crash that killed two folks final yr. The household of Alkonis says he suffered from acute mountain-sickness and handed out unconscious behind the wheel. Japanese prosecutors and a decide say he was feeling drowsy and will have pulled over. Utah Sen. Mike Lee referred to as on President Joe Biden to satisfy with the lieutenant’s spouse, hear his story and assist deliver him dwelling. Denis Poroy, Related Press
Standing outdoors the U.S. capitol alongside the household of a U.S. Navy lieutenant imprisoned in Japan, Utah Sen. Mike Lee referred to as on President Joe Biden to satisfy with the lieutenant’s spouse, hear his story and assist deliver him dwelling.
“Lt. Ridge Alkonis is a hero. Somebody who’s served his nation nicely ... he’s top-of-the-line and the brightest. And we'd like him. We want him, and (his spouse) Brittany and their youngsters want him again in america,” Lee mentioned in the course of the rally Wednesday.
Lee spoke whereas standing in entrance of Alkonis’ supporters and relations, who wore matching blue shirts and held indicators studying “Deliver Ridge House.”
Whereas urging Japan, a U.S. ally, to cooperate for the sake of its relationship with the U.S., Lee additionally “implored” Biden to satisfy with Brittany Alkonis and hearken to her story.
“As a navy father, I’m assured when (Biden) meets Brittany Alkonis, all she wants is 10 minutes, when he meets her, when he hears his story, this story will contact him deeply and inspire him to motion,” Lee mentioned. “Not solely as president of america, but in addition and particularly as a navy father.”
Alkonis is presently serving what his household believes is an unjustifiable three-year jail sentence in Japan after he was concerned in a automotive accident ensuing from a medical emergency that left two folks lifeless.
Alkonis reported to jail in July, convicted of negligent driving within the deaths of an 85-year-old Japanese lady and her 54-year-old son-in-law on Might 29, 2021, whereas the household was driving down Mount Fuji after a day journey.
A Japanese decide decided that Alkonis had fallen asleep on the wheel and misplaced management of his car, which plowed into pedestrians and parked vehicles in a restaurant parking zone two hours from Yokosuka Naval Base, the place he was serving as anti-submarine warfare officer.
However U.S. Navy investigators decided that Alkonis suffered from acute mountain illness and misplaced consciousness. His spouse and youngsters mentioned that he was not sleepy and appeared to black out. They mentioned that when he handed out, he was unresponsive to their screams and one daughter’s kicks. He remained unconscious even in the course of the crash itself.
Since his imprisonment, Brittany Alkonis has been combating to deliver her husband dwelling. She’s spent weeks lobbying Washington, D.C., to assist her. Lee and the Alkonis household’s congressman, Rep. Mike Levin, D-Calif., have joined their combat.
“We're not going to surrender,” mentioned Jonathan Franks, spokesman for the Alkonis household, including that Brittany Alkonis has spent weeks home-schooling her children “on a picnic blanket outdoors the press gate on the White Home for a number of weeks.”
She has “no intention of stopping anytime quickly,” Franks mentioned. “So we're hopeful that sooner or later, she is going to merely be invited inside to have a substantive dialog, or that any person within the govt department — anyone — would have a direct dialog together with her. I believe her husband’s exemplary service deserves that.”
Wednesday marks the second time the Alkonis household has traveled to Washington, D.C., to boost consciousness about Ridge Alkonis’ case and name for Biden to intervene.
Lee mentioned he’s in communication with the U.S. Division of State, the Division of Protection and the U.S. Division of Justice “as we consider methods to deliver Ridge dwelling, and to deliver him dwelling rapidly.”
“It’s now been 53 days since Ridge has been taken away from our household,” Brittany Alkonis mentioned throughout Wednesday’s rally. “Mr. President, all we're asking for is so that you can please meet with me. Please enable my youngsters and I just some minutes of your time. ... My youngsters miss their father dearly.”
Her voice cracked with emotion when she continued. “The ache that I see after I look into their eyes each single day is palpable. And it solely grows. They want their dad again. This week is our oldest daughter’s birthday. All she desires is to have her dad dwelling.”